6 Easy Steps to Requesting Parental Leave Through the FMLA in Idaho

Unraveling exactly how the FMLA in Idaho works is no easy task. First, you have to determine what's required for parental leave, how you can file an FMLA claim, and exactly what that process looks like through your employer.

Sadly, the moment when you most need to request parental leave is the exact one when you have the least amount of available time and attention to devote to the task. Fortunately, DoNotPay is here with a streamlined way to apply for parental leave fast.

What Is the FMLA?

The FMLA is shorthand for the Family Medical Leave Act. This is a federal labor law intended to protect your job in the event that you need to take an extended leave of absence due to medical developments within the family.

Such developments may include:

• Serious personal diagnosis or medical crisis
• Diagnosis or crisis of an immediate family member
• Welcoming a new child to the family (via natural childbirth, adoption, or fostering)

In most states (including Idaho), parental leave under the FMLA is unpaid.

Parental Leave Eligibility in Idaho

Understanding parental leave begins with understanding how it works on a broad level. After that, you can see how the FMLA is currently applied in Idaho.

Parental Leave in General

In general, employees working at companies that employ fifty people or more are eligible for 12 weeks of FMLA leave per year.

There are, however, some stipulations:

Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Whether an employee has worked the minimum 1,250 hours of service is determined according to FLSA principles for determining compensable hours or work. (U.S. Department of Labor)

At companies smaller than 50 employees, FMLA leave generally drops to 6 weeks.

Parental Leave in Idaho

Employers in the state of Idaho adhere to the national regulations listed above.

Like in most other states, they are not required to offer compensation during parental leave; however, the law allows employees to retain their health insurance coverage while on leave and retain their position (or an equivalent one) upon rejoining the team.

How to Apply for FMLA in Idaho

Depending on the organization where you work, the process of applying for FMLA might look a bit different.

Steps will often include:

1. Contacting HR (generally within 30 days of desiring leave)
2. Filling out an FMLA request letter and/or accompanying FMLA forms
3. Providing necessary documentation so that your employer can determine if you qualify for leave

At larger companies, your journey will begin with your HR department. If you work at a small business or an employer that does not have HR, you should check with your direct superior and/or consult your employee guidelines for in-house best practices.

Of course, there is an easier way.

Apply for Parental Leave Quickly and Efficiently with DoNotPay

Rather than spending hours researching how the FMLA in Idaho works and what exact steps you need to take to request it through your specific employer, you can simply let DoNotPay do the heavy lifting for you.

If you want to request parental leave but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 6 easy steps:

1. Tell us which state you work in (if you work in CA, NY, NJ, MA, WA, or DC, your state has a paid family leave program).

2. Choose whether you want us to apply to the program for you or contact your employer with your leave request. If you want to apply for the program, we will walk you through the questions on the form and mail the application form for you.

3. If you want us to contact your employer, enter your leave details, including the starting date, number of weeks of leave, and how many weeks of paid leave you are requesting (for example, you may take a 12 week leave, but only request 8 weeks of paid leave to make the request reasonable).

4. Indicate whether you are the birth parent or not (birth parents have a few additional protections).

5. Enter the name of your company and the person to address this request to.

6. Select whether you want us to email the request to your employer on your behalf.

Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for your request to be approved. It really is that easy.

DoNotPay Is Here for You

Not only can DoNotPay's simple and easy-to-use product help you request parental leave in Idaho, but it can also help those in other states.

• Parental leave in Florida
• Parental leave in California
• Parental leave in New Jersey
• Parental leave in New York

Check other state requirements here:

DoNotPay can also help with tasks such as requesting sick leave and filing official complaints. Join us today to learn more about our remarkable products and services!